2016 has been a busy year for Sonance; they’ve welcomed former Grey Widow vocalist, Les Makepeace, into the fold and released a split with Torpor, as well as full length ‘Blister the Maw’, alongside a string of live shows. For those that might have allowed either of these releases to pass them by, Third I Rex have put them into a handy compilation, along with a bonus track.
The split portion of the release kicks off the record with ‘End Your Life’ – this distinctive beginning is made by the clean sound of the guitar. Their blackened tinge of post rock is wickedly brutal sounding and this carries over into second offering ‘Under and Under’, a bold and sonically devastating 8 minutes compared to their usual 16 minute slabs of pure ambience. Instrumental Capes concludes the split with relentless shifts in dynamic and pace that both captivates and pulverises.
‘Blister the Maw’ portrays a visceral beauty that wrings twisted leaden sludge and floating spectral ambience seemingly from the very air that surrounds it. The violent, jarring nature of the lurch from low-key ethereal beauty into ugly, jagged, bruising riffs is such that the band transcends the obvious LOUD-quiet-LOUD aesthetic, and puts them closer to avant-garde territory.
A solid collection of songs that convey just how strong of a position Sonance are currently in at the moment. Great for those just discovering the band as a smorgasbord of all the sounds the band encompass, and a milestone for long-time fans as a reminder of just how far Sonance’s sound has progressed.
(8/10 Angela Davey)
https://www.facebook.com/sonancenoise
https://3rdirex.bandcamp.com/album/split-blister-the-maw
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